Student Warned Us About the Empire of Administrative Bloat [WATCH]

In a resurfaced clip, Alex Shieh, a rising junior at Brown University at the time, delivered sharp criticism of the Ivy League institution during congressional testimony, arguing that administrative expansion and soaring tuition have turned elite higher education into what he described as a luxury reserved for the wealthy.

“My name is Alex Shieh, and I’m a rising junior at Brown University, one of the most exclusive institutions in the world. But I’m not here to glorify the Ivy League. I’m here to warn you that the promise of American higher education, of opportunity through meritocracy, is under attack,” Shieh said.

Shieh described himself as someone who fits the traditional Ivy League profile, noting his family background and ability to afford the school’s rising costs.

“I’m a legacy student at Brown I went to a prep school that feeds to the Ivy League. My parents are doctors who can afford, afford the $93,000 a year sticker price. In other words, I’m exactly who the Ivy League was built for,” he said.

Shieh argued that the current system increasingly shuts out capable students from lower-income backgrounds, despite the historic role elite universities have played in promoting upward mobility.

“But what about the kids who weren’t born on third base? Statistically, speaking, for a smart kid from a poor family, an Ivy League degree can power their ascent to the upper income brackets better than anything else. That’s the American dream. But today, that dream is now a luxury good,” Shieh said.

Citing reporting and academic research, Shieh pointed to what he described as a growing imbalance in student demographics at Brown.

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“According to The New York Times at Brown, the median student’s family makes over $200,000 a year. Half the student body comes from the top 5% of earners, and research by Brown’s own professor, John Friedman, shows that even equally qualified, low income students are vastly underrepresented,” he said.

Shieh questioned how tuition continues to rise even as the university faces financial shortfalls.

“At this very moment, the American people are tightening their belts, and Brown is raising tuition to beyond $90,000 a year, and even while charging students the price of a luxury car, Brown is on track to run a $46 million deficit this year. Where’s all the money going? I’ll tell you where it’s going. It’s going into an empire of administrative bloat and bureaucracy,” he said.

He cited staffing figures to support his claims.

“Brown employs 3805 full time non instructional staff for just 7229 undergrads. That’s one administrator for every two students. This isn’t education. This is bloat paid for on the backs of students and families who are mortgaging their futures for a shot at a better life,” Shieh said.

Shieh also described what he said were visible declines in student services while high-level compensation remains untouched.

“Meanwhile, Grace Calhoun Brown’s athletic director earns over $1 million a household assistant on payroll tends to University President Christina Paxson, and when budget cuts are made, these expenses stay while the student experience deteriorates. My dorm floods when it rains, and the burger patties in our dining hall have been replaced by an unappetizing beef mushroom blend,” he said.

Placing Brown’s situation in a broader context, Shieh argued that administrative expansion across higher education has coincided with sharp tuition increases.

“The number of university administrators has risen by 162% in recent decades, and it’s no coincidence that correspondingly, the cost of education has risen 181% in inflation adjusted dollars since the 90s,” he said, adding that universities abroad often operate with fewer administrative layers at far lower cost.

Shieh also raised concerns about financial aid policies, particularly for middle-class families.

“Brown says it meets 100% of demonstrated need, but Brown gets to decide what that need is,” he said, describing students who are accepted but ultimately unable to enroll due to cost.

Discussing his own reporting, Shieh said his investigative work into administrative roles was met with retaliation.

“Instead of answering, Brown’s response was retaliation. My Social Security Number was leaked. Our website was hacked, and Associate Dean Kirsten wolf launched a disciplinary investigation into a litany of baseless charges such as emotional harm,” he said.

Shieh said the disciplinary actions ultimately failed.

“When they couldn’t get me, they charged every single board member of the Brown Spectator an unprecedented attack on student journalism, but we refused to back down, and we won our hearings. There was no misconduct, only exposure,” he said.

He closed his testimony by calling for congressional action.

“I call on you today to subpoena Brown’s President Christina Paxson and ask her why Brown costs $93,000 a year,” Shieh said, arguing that higher education should remain accessible to students based on merit rather than wealth.

“The American dream isn’t just for the legacies the coastal elites or the children of privilege,” Shieh said.

“They deserve a seat at the table. They deserve a shot at making it big.”

WATCH:

🚨 WOW. Brown University student Alex Shieh previously EVISCERATED the school’s administrators for having a $46 million deficit, despite surging costs for students.

They pay $90K+ PER YEAR.

Alex Shieh: “What about the kids who weren’t born on third base?! […] Brown is on… pic.twitter.com/0FVwgDb4ZR

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 19, 2025